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Friday, November 30, 2012

This Ancient Ale proves that beside the wine on most Italian dinner tables, there should also be a place for beer.

To develop the recipe for Birra Etrusca Bronze, Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione traveled to Rome with molecular archaeologist Dr. Pat McGovern. With the help of Birreria Brother Brewers Leo DeVencenzo of Birra del Borgo and Teo Musso of Baladin, they analyzed drinking vessels found in 2,800-year-old Etruscan tombs.

Although Italian historians were a little reluctant to admit it, the team clearly found that the Etruscans had a taste for ale.

"In every part of the process, we go for as much authenticity as we can," Calagione says. "Ingredients are often tough to track down, and there can be financial and logistical challenges, but we really love embracing these risks to bring these beers to market."

The backbone of Birra Etrusca comes from two-row malted barley and an heirloom Italian wheat. Specialty ingredients include hazelnut flour, pomegranates, Italian chestnut honey, Delaware wildflower honey and clover honey. A handful of whole-flower hops are added, but the bulk of the bitterness comes from gentian root and the sarsaparilla-like Ethiopian myrrh resin.

Birra del Borgo and Baladin also will brew a version of Birra Etrusca, and to add complexity and variety, each brewery will ferment its batches with different traditional materials. Dogfish will use bronze, Baladin will use wood, and Birra del Borgo will use terra cotta.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Considered one of the rarest, most highly sought after and coveted beers in the world, this Trappist Quadrupel is a "white whale" amongst the beer geek crowd. The monks of Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus, in Vleteren, Belgium are for the first time making their beer for export.

In an effort to raise funds to repair the deteriorating Abbey, the monks have turned to their world class beer for help and ramped up production to make 163,000 six-packs available to exporters and local sales agents in Belgium.

The great news is that the LCBO has secured 1,404 of those six-packs for sale in Ontario the next two weeks or so for the holiday gift-giving season.

The six-packs, which include two Westvleteren chalices, will be selling for $75.40 apiece. Make sure you save one of these for your favourite beer aficionado!

Steam Whistle Brewing, craft brewers of the Gold Medal Pilsner at this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards, are stocking shelves for the coming season with their vintage-inspired holiday gift pack.

Craft beer has become the new favourite of foodies interested in buying all-natural beverages from upstanding local producers. In the LCBO’s 2011-12 annual report, Ontario craft beers led all product segments with almost 45% growth. “The sales performance of Ontario craft beers are all the more impressive given they are achieving growth on top of previous strong sales growth,” states LCBO President & CEO, Bob Peter.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Movember is almost over. For the men of this country, that means an important decision is to be made: to keep or not to keep the mo. For the women, a sigh of relief when the whispy whiskers take a back seat to razors nation wide. For us here at The Amsterdam Brewing Co., the end of Movember means it’s time to have a party.

Their 2nd annual Brewstache Beerfest is taking place this week on Thursday, November 29th at their new brewery in Leaside (45 Esandar Dr.) from 7:00 pm-11:00 pm. All proceeds from The Brewstache will go towards prostate Cancer research and awareness. This years fest will feature 10 different Ontario Craft Brewers with unique one-off beers and some very interesting mo-themed names. $20 gets you admission, 2 drink tickets and a commemorative Brewstache Beerfest glass. Their friends at Grilltime will be joining to serve up some eats and a portion of their proceeds will also go to the fundraiser.

Bog Water Gruit — a beer style as rare as the endangered species that inhabit its Eastern Ontario namesake — returns to LCBO shelves for a limited time this winter

Bog Water, the strong, spicy winter seasonal offering from Beau’s All Natural Brewing, returns to LCBO shelves next week, and will be a bit of a rarity amongst the hoppy ales popular right now. Bog Water is a gruit, a beer style brewed without any hops. In their place, Bog Water has instead a wild-harvested herb called sweet gale. Like hops the sweet gale is a natural preservative for beer, but offers up a milder bitterness, along with peppery, herbal notes. Brewed with a trappist ale yeast, the resulting style is complex, similar in taste to a Belgian dubbel.

“We actually do add one single hop pellet,” chuckles Beau’s brewmaster Matt O’Hara, “in order to meet the definition of what is considered 'beer.' But that’s just a technicality; it’s definitely a non-hopped beer.” O’Hara also notes that Beau’s will be releasing more gruits this fall and winter as part of the Wild Oats Series, limited releases that are available at craft-beer-friendly establishments, and direct from the brewery retail store. “We recently collaborated with Dick Cantwell from Elysian Brewing in Seattle on a Pumpkin gruit called Oiseaux de Nuit [available Dec. 13]. He brought his expertise in pumpkin beers, and we combined it with our experience brewing gruits — the resulting beer is quite special,” adds O’Hara.

For this year’s Bog Water and other gruits in the works, nearly 250 kg of sweet gale was meticulously hand-harvested from wetlands in the wild, then dried and shipped to Beau’s from Northern Ontario and Quebec. The herb grows in boggy, swampy areas often only accessible by canoe, earning it the secondary name of Bog Myrtle.

“We know the name ‘Bog Water’ is pretty cheeky for a beer,” laughs Beau’s co-founder Steve Beauchesne, “It’s kind of a tip of the hat to the Alfred Bog too — it’s about 15 minutes from the brewery. Being a peat bog it’s pretty rare, so there are a lot of endangered species that live there and nowhere else in the world. We thought that was a cool reference for a beer that’s pretty unique on the beer landscape.”

Bog Water officially launches for the season on November 29. It will be available at select LCBOs, through the BYBO home delivery service in Ottawa, and direct from the brewery, in single-serve 600 mL bottles for $4.35. Bog Water will also be served on tap at a limited number of restaurants and pubs across Ontario, for details visit the Beau’s website.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Penticton-based micro-brewery Cannery Brewing is launching a new beer calledLakeboat Lager, which pays tribute to one of Penticton’s most iconic images, the S.S. Sicamous. The S.S. Sicamous is a unique historical landmark in Penticton. Operational from 1914 until 1935, today it the largest of four steam-driven, stern-wheeled lake vessels that have been restored in Canada.Patt Dyck, co-owner of Cannery Brewing explains, “We are absolutely thrilled to partner with the S.S. Sicamous and celebrate and commemorate the importance of this beautiful landmark in our community, both historically and today. Our team really enjoyed working with the folks from the S.S. Sicamous, the Penticton Museum and the City of Penticton to come up with the name, packaging and advertising for our Lakeboat Lager.”As part of the partnership between Cannery Brewing and the S.S. Sicamous, Cannery Brewing will allocate a portion of their annual sales from this beer to help with restoration of the boat.Jim Cooper, President of the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society explained, “This partnership is very exciting for us. It will help us expand the awareness of the S.S. Sicamous outside of the Penticton area. In addition, the financial contributions from Cannery Brewing, will help with restorations and updates on the ship. Partnerships like this help us meet our goals of sharing the history of the S.S. Sicamous and the significance of marine transportation to communities in the Okanagan Valley.”In terms of the beer itself, Dyck exclaims that this is a “lager with flavour! For craft-beer lovers or for those that are new to the world of hand-crafted, small-batch micro-brewed beers, this is a great beer because the mellow malts and exciting hops of this lager are carefully balanced to produce a crisp, clean, refreshing finish. It’s a very versatile beer that is great whether it’s enjoyed on a hot day or while watching a hockey game, paired alongside a broad range of foods or served alone.”The beer has been brewed, the labels have been printed and on Wednesday Nov. 28th, thebeer will be officially launched with a special christening on board the S.S. Sicamous. CanneryBrewing’s Lakeboat Lager will be available in 650ml bottles and on tap throughout BC. In the future, it may be available in Alberta and other provinces, as demand grows for this lager. Ships ahoy!

Brewed just once a year by Peter McAuslan and brew master, Ellen Bounsal. Made with a blend of wheat and barley malts, including Munich malt, this
unfiltered ale has a lovely deep-orange colour, rich maltiness, hints
of caramelized fruit that recall plum pudding, and a surprisingly crisp,
balanced finish provided by classic Goldings hops.

The Pour
Pours crystal clear with a one finger bubbly head that dissipates quickly with colours of deep orange turning to ruby red in the centre.

Aroma
Lots of sweet caramel malt but with a unique profile that includes a bit of spiceandbig splashes of sherry/red wine and candied/dried fruit. There are also welcome hints of maple syrup.

Taste
Strong alcohol hit with lots of warmth and a bitter hop finish. The malts impart caramel, dark fruit, and sherry/wine flavours that carry over nicely from the nose. The wheat gives it a frothy mouthfeel as it passes over the tongue which balances the big alcohol feel well.

Overall
I got the impression that this beer should best be enjoyed after being cellared as suggested on the bottle. As it is now, I'd call it an Imperial English Ale. It seems to still be fairly young (which makes sense just having been released), indicated by its big alcohol hit, and will mostly likely mellow nicely with age. I give it a strong B with the definite potential to get better with age.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

So you like cask ales and mustaches and you support research for prostate cancer? Well do we have news for you! Cameron's next Cask Night is on November 29, 2012 from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm and along with the usual food and beer, there will be a raffle to benefit prostate cancer research. Cask Night tickets are $20.00 at the door or $15.00 in advance and students (of legal age) are a mere $10.00.

Supporting full Movember mode, everyone who comes in Movember spirit will get an extra beer ticket! So start growing those mustaches now! Want to learn more about this great cause click here. With entertainment from SoulShaker and Jack Astor’s providing great food, your entrance fee will include two Cameron’s beers and tasters from the cask also.

Please RSVP with your name and number of guests to:info@cameronsbrewing.com or call the Brewery at (905) 849-8282. Space is limited so please book early.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Bottle
"Imperial Porter is a full bodied, very dark, malty beer with a good
roasted character coming from the Crystal, Chocolate and Black Patent
Malts used in the mash. Warrior, English Fuggles, and East Kent Goldings
Hops balance the malts with a good hop bite. The beer has an OG of
1.070, rounding out after fermentation with just a slight residual
sweetness and cutting dry at the finish. 7.1% alcohol by volume."

The Pour
Pours thick and jet black like cola. Head...did you see the picture? Freaking beautiful! Puffy, sudsy,khaki in colourwith the texture of mousse that collects in soaring peaks above the rim and eventually settles like a blanket over the beer.

Aroma
Big roasted malt, dark chocolate and fresh ground coffee. There are also aromas of Caramilk bars with alcoholic whiskey notes similar to the smell of Baileys. Some welcome fall/winter spice aromas of nutmeg, pine, maple and earthy hops as well. Quite wonderful.

Taste
Full bodied, smooth, creamy and thick. The roast malts are not sweet but strong and powerful with a large coffee hit that is helped along by the generous dose of alcohol. It mellows quickly into more familiar porter territory. The brew ends up feeling light despite the high ABV and strong nose, which could be quite dangerous. There is also a surprising sticky hoppy sensation on the backend that leads to a very welcome dry finish.

Overall
Very cool indeed. Maybe a little heavy on the alcohol burn and hops but also extremely impressive. I think there is some room for hops in dark beers right now. It adds a new and different dimension to realms where malt has held sway for so long. I also like Silversmith's new black lager because of the creative malt/hop balance. I give it an A. Very impressive, not perfect in composition, but close.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

With more and more beer tasting events happening at a wider variety of places, it makes a lot of sense for Transcend Coffee to get involved. In fact, it it weren't for rich Imperial Stouts, I would not be a coffee drinker. And craft beer and coffee go hand in hand with their rich, complex tastes. Bold, earthy and enjoyable. Full of roasty, cocoa like qualities...and definitely not bland, both are often be a delight to the connoisseur."We're doing this for one reason. We love Mikkeller beer." Says Poul Mark, founder of Transcend coffee and co-host of the upcoming Mikkeller Beer Tasting Night, Nov 21 in Edmonton. "We are big fans of the innovation and passion that is clearly evident in Mikkel's beers, and we want to share that with beer fans in Edmonton."Eight years ago Mikkel Borg Bjergsø was a math and physics teacher that started experimenting with hops, malt and yeast back home in his kitchen in Copenhagen. Today Mikkel exports his micro brewed beer to 40 different countries and is internationally acclaimed as one of the most innovative and cutting edge brewers in the world.Join Poul Mark of Transcend Coffee and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, beer expert and founder of the newly launched beerdiaries.tv on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 for a great evening where we will celebrate the beer genius of Mikkeller's mastermind Mikkel by tasting eight of his creations. They will sample three draughts and five bottled beers. Price includes the following sampling:DRAFT BEAR IMPERIAL PILSNER KKDRAFT USALIVE!DRAFT CITRA SINGLE HOP IPAPlus 5 bottled Mikkeller brews as well.The evening will include some tasty snacks too.Wednesday, November 21, 2012 @ 7:00 pmTranscend Coffee Jasper Ave (10349 - Jasper Ave, Edmonton)DON'T DELAY, ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE.Tickets are $50 per person and are available HERE.

Friday, November 16, 2012

In what looks like a battle for an Iron Publican, Lifford Wine Agency will be taking on Spearhead Brewery in an all out brawl at Farbs Kitchen and Wine Bar in Ottawa next week. On Wednesday November 21, 2012, Dimitri (Spearhead) and Andrew Rasta (Lifford) will be battling it out during this three course blind tasting event.

Located in picturesque New Edinburgh, a stones-throw from Ottawa's Byward Market, Farbs Kitchen and Wine Bar serves upscale bistro-fare in a casual, friendly atmosphere.Chef/owner Michael Farber and his staff take pride in creating new dishes made from local ingredients. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with to showcase the complexities of both the wines and the beers.

To reserve your table for this fun, informative and tasty dinner, call the restaurant at 613.744.6509.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

More great news is heading our way in Ontario! Suffering from prohibition era liquor laws, importing a beer from another Province in Canada is as difficult as bringing in something from a foreign country. But thanks to some hard work, the folks at Propeller Brewery in Halifax, NS are sending some of their Revolution Russian Imperial Stout to a LCBO near you.

"This beer was born for greatness. Sent by English brewers via the Baltic Sea to the court of the Czars, Russian Imperial Stout was brewed to very high gravities and allowed to ferment on the long voyage. The result? A dark, strong and bracing brew.

Propeller's version weighs in at a whopping eight percent alcohol content, with a deep, rich, black colour. The taste of alcohol is well masked by the intense hop bitterness, extreme roasted malt and dark fruit notes.

Propeller Brewing Company has brewed and bottled this unfiltered ale each year since 2006, making Propeller the extreme brewing pioneers of Nova Scotia.

Russian Imperial Stout - imbibed by Peter, adored by Catherine and now reclaimed by you, the People. Za Vas!"

Be sure to act on this quickly because stock is sure not to last long!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Last week we brought you the news of this amazing craft beer event for lovely London, Ontario. Well this week we have some bitter sweet news about the event. The first session from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm is sold out. But the good news is that the doors open to the public at 7:30 pm, when everyone will be able to get their hands on some of these tasty treats. Be sure to get there well be for the 7:30 pm doors-open time as there are sure to be line ups!

With plenty of beers for this event, there are some fantastic looking collaborations. From a Black Imperial IPA with Phillips Brewing Co. in British Columbia, Ezra a Saison aged in Spirit Tree cider barrels with Amsterdam, to a very interesting Milk Tits Imperial Milk IPA with the pubs own Milos and Adil, Great Lakes have put together an incredible list of crafts finest styles, sure to please anyone whose tastes stray from the path most traveled.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

"A generously hopped IPA, balanced by a diabolical blend of rich
specialty malts and pure mountain water. A wicked ale that leaves you
lusting for more."

The Pour
This golden brew pours a two finger puffy white head that crackles and pops. The liquid itself is perfectly clear with amber hues like a fall sunset.

Aroma
First off are some big flowery hops with a chewy malt balance underneath that tastes like toffee but not as sweet. I also detected hints of citrus, herbs, nuts and maybe even some indian masala.

Taste
The first mouthful was flat with not much bite but with lots of resiny hop stickiness on the finish that leads to some salivation for another sip. There's some interesting stuff going on here, but you've gotta search for it a bit.

Overall
A neat mix of a malty English pale ale with lots of aromatic and bitter hops to make it an IPA. Not sure I've seen both so well represented in one beer, but there is still room here for more balance.I give it a B+. Definitely worth another look.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Wild Rose Brewery is announcing the return of a seasonal favourite - Wild Rose Cherry Porter. Brewed using only the plumpest, ripest whole BC cherries, each glass of this local brew is lush and creamy with a fruity aroma. Only here once a year, Wild Rose Cherry Porter launched officially on November 1st and is expected to sell out quickly.

"Rich and sensual, the flavour of Cherry Porter is reminiscent of Black Forest cake with sweet chocolate notes and a slightly smoky character from roasted barley malts. As always, celebrate the season and enjoy a glass of Wild Rose Cherry Porter with someone special."

Crafted in limited quantities, Wild Rose Cherry Porter is now available in one litre flip-top bottles at liquor stores in Alberta, on tap at a number of select locations including The Ship and Anchor in Calgary and at Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom (403.720.2733).

Thursday, November 8, 2012

It is the most wonderful time of the year! Tis' the season when breweries are buzzing and bottling those dark and delicious stouts that many of us crave. And this International Stout Day did not disappoint.

Amsterdam has announced that their Tempest Imperial Stout is now available at their retail store. It will also be available at LCBO stores soon!

Monday, November 5, 2012

"For years fans of the Renaissance beers had been asking, “when are you guys going to do a Stout?” It was eventually decided that the effort Brian was putting into taking these pesky blighters out the back to give them a shoeing could be better used to actually make the aforementioned stout.So we produced not only a Stout, but a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, the Craftsman.Craftsman is the ‘Big Brother’ to our popular Elemental porter. Building on the flavours given by the crystal, brown and black malts, we add a portion of organic rolled oats for a silky smooth mouthfeel, then added a small amount of cocoa nibs to the mash and brew kettle, plus a large addition of nibs to the fermentor. The beer that matured on those cocoa nibs has a lovely chocolate nose that melds beautifully with the coffee and hop notes in the beer. The resulting Stout has a full rounded palate with chocolate and roasted notes predominating and the depth of intensity that one expects from a Stout."

The PourPoured from a 500ml bottle, this jet black stout had one finger of tan head. Quickly

dissipating, tiny bubbles are left around the rim of the glass.

Aroma

Not a huge nose from this stout. Mild roastiness, light cocoa powder. There is some caramel and burnt sugar notes as well.

Taste

As with the nose, the taste too is light. Some gentle coffee notes pair well with the light cocoa flavour. The minimal carbonation combined with the oatmeal provide a very smooth mouthfeel. Definitely not an imperial stout, but balanced and a nice bitterness in the finish. Pleasant indeed.

Overall Impressions
All the way to Ontario from Marlborough, New Zealand this oatmeal chocolate stout is a well put together, balanced and nicely flavoured, especially when you consider it is a mere 4.9% ABV. Definitely note huge, but it have a nice mouthfeel and mild but interesting flavour from first hitting your lips all the way through the finish. Definitely not ageable but enjoyable. A solid B. It is a good stepping stone to some of the bigger Imperial Stouts on the market.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Milos Kral of Milos' Craft Beer Emporium is not one to stand around a wait for things to happen. Before opening his own beer mecca, he was the former manager of London's Gambrinus Bistro. There, he was able to bring the forest city a selection of craft beer like no other. He arranged for meet and greets with almost all of the Ontario Craft Brewers, brought in legends like James Watt of BrewDog from Scotland, he even hosted one of London's most successful beer inspired events ever with a tap takeover from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery (check out the time-laps of the event from your very own Beer Geeks here) .

Well Londoners, you are in for another treat! Teamed up with Toronto's Great Lakes Brewery and the beer genius that is Adil Ahmad, a GLB total tap takeover is headed to Milos' Craft Beer Emporium on November 17th, 2012. I for one will be looking forward to seeing what the total of 23 one-offs have in store!

The evening will consist of two parts. First, a ticketed event from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm with a cost of $20.00 which includes six tokens plus guaranteed access to all of the beers and a chance to chat with brew master Mike Lackey. Then doors will open to the general public at 7:30 pm. While there will be a lot of beers available, they cannot guarantee that all of them will make it to the general public portion of the evening.

As always, space is limited. Get there early and bring cash to aid in speedy service.

You can get your event tickets at the bar. Cash only. Out of town people can call Milos directly at 519.601.4447 to inquire about purchasing.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Dead Frog Fearless IPA is the first collaboration brew from the Aldergrove, BC brewery's new brew team Tony Dewald and Timmy Brown! Tony and Timmy are BC Craft Beer pioneers and they’ve finally come together to brew under one roof. For their first brew they wanted to make a hop forward West Coast IPA that didn’t pull any punches. The end result was the Fearless IPA, a 77 IBU brew packed with 4 different hops including Galaxy and Zythos.

Their Fearless IPA is described as a "hop forward India Pale Ale crafted with premium malts and hops from around the world. Zythos and Galaxy hops combine to provide a tropical fruit aroma while Cascade and Columbus provide a citrus-like bitter finish".

The Fearless IPA is currently available in BC and Alberta in 650ml single bottles. Draught will be shipping out to select Pubs and Restaurants in both provinces next week.